An activity-dependent change in synaptic efficacy is a central tenet in learning, memory, and pathological states of neuronal excitability. The lateral diffusion dynamics of neurotransmitter receptors are one of the important parameters regulating synaptic efficacy. We report here that neuronal activity modifies diffusion properties of type-A GABA receptors (GABA(A)R) in cultured hippocampal neurons: enhanced excitatory synaptic activity decreases the cluster size of GABA(A)Rs and reduces GABAergic mIPSC. Single-particle tracking of the GABA(A)R gamma2 subunit labeled with quantum dots reveals that the diffusion coefficient and the synaptic confinement domain size of GABA(A)R increases in parallel with neuronal activity, depending on Ca(2+) influx and calcineurin activity. These results indicate that GABA(A)R diffusion dynamics are directly linked to rapid and plastic modifications of inhibitory synaptic transmission in response to changes in intracellular Ca(2+) concentration. This transient activity-dependent reduction of inhibition would favor the onset of LTP during conditioning.

The inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3) receptor acts as an InsP3-gated Ca2+ release channel in a variety of cell types. Type 1 InsP3 receptor (IP3R1) is the major neuronal member of the IP3R family in the central nervous system, predominantly enriched in cerebellar Purkinje cells but also concentrated in neurons in the hippocampal CA1 region, caudate-putamen, and cerebral cortex. Here we report that most IP3R1-deficient mice generated by gene targeting die in utero, and born animals have severe ataxia and tonic or tonic-clonic seizures and die by the weaning period. An electroencephalogram showed that they suffer from epilepsy, indicating that IP3R1 is essential for proper brain function. However, observation by light microscope of the haematoxylin-eosin staining of the brain and peripheral tissues of IP3R1-deficient mice showed no abnormality, and the unique electrophysiological properties of the cerebellar Purkinje cells of IP3R1-deficient mice were not severely impaired.

Cell division is finely controlled by various molecules including small G proteins and kinases/phosphatases. Among these, Aurora B, RhoA, and the GAP MgcRacGAP have been implicated in cytokinesis, but their underlying mechanisms of action have remained unclear. Here, we show that MgcRacGAP colocalizes with Aurora B and RhoA, but not Rac1/Cdc42, at the midbody. We also report that Aurora B phosphorylates MgcRacGAP on serine residues and that this modification induces latent GAP activity toward RhoA in vitro. Expression of a kinase-defective mutant of Aurora B disrupts cytokinesis and inhibits phosphorylation of MgcRacGAP at Ser387, but not its localization to the midbody. Overexpression of a phosphorylation-deficient MgcRacGAP-S387A mutant, but not phosphorylation-mimic MgcRacGAP-S387D mutant, arrests cytokinesis at a late stage and induces polyploidy. Together, these findings indicate that during cytokinesis, MgcRacGAP, previously known as a GAP for Rac/Cdc42, is functionally converted to a RhoGAP through phosphorylation by Aurora B.

Various receptors coupled to the heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding protein Gq/11 stimulate formation of inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3). Activation of these receptors also induces protein tyrosine phosphorylation. Formation of IP3 in response to stimulated receptors that couple to Gq/11 was blocked by protein tyrosine kinase inhibitors. These inhibitors appeared to act before activation of Gq/11. Moreover, stimulation of receptors coupled to Gq/11 induced phosphorylation on a tyrosine residue (Tyr356) of the Galphaq/11 subunit, and this tyrosine phosphorylation event was essential for Gq/11 activation. Tyrosine phosphorylation of Galphaq/11 induced changes in its interaction with receptors. Therefore, tyrosine phosphorylation of Galphaq/11 appears to regulate the activation of Gq/11 protein.

Various hormonal stimuli and growth factors activate the mammalian canonical transient receptor potential (TRPC) channel through phospholipase C (PLC) activation. However, the precise mechanism of the regulation of TRPC channel activity remains unknown. Here, we provide the first evidence that direct tyrosine phosphorylation by Src family protein-tyrosine kinases (PTKs) is a novel mechanism for modulating TRPC6 channel activity. We found that TRPC6 is tyrosine-phosphorylated in COS-7 cells when coexpressed with Fyn, a member of the Src family PTKs. We also found that Fyn interacts with TRPC6 and that the interaction is mediated by the SH2 domain of Fyn and the N-terminal region of TRPC6 in a phosphorylation-independent manner. In addition, we demonstrated the physical association of TRPC6 with Fyn in the mammalian brain. Moreover, we showed that stimulation of the epidermal growth factor receptor induced rapid tyrosine phosphorylation of TRPC6 in COS-7 cells. This epidermal growth factor-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of TRPC6 was significantly blocked by PP2, a specific inhibitor of Src family PTKs, and by a dominant negative form of Fyn, suggesting that the direct phosphorylation of TRPC6 by Src family PTKs could be caused by physiological stimulation. Furthermore, using single channel recording, we showed that Fyn modulates TRPC6 channel activity via tyrosine phosphorylation. Thus, our findings demonstrated that tyrosine phosphorylation by Src family PTKs is a novel regulatory mechanism of TRPC6 channel activity.Various growth factors or hormones can induce activation of phospholipase C (PLC), 1 production of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP 3 ) and diacylglycerol (DAG), and Ca 2ϩ influx across the plasma membrane (1, 2). This PLC-dependent Ca 2ϩ influx is thought to play important roles in many physiological functions, such as cell proliferation and apoptosis, T cell activation, and the maturation and functions of B cells (3). Therefore, it is important to understand regulation of such PLC-dependent Ca 2ϩ channels, because modulation of the channel activities can profoundly affect these various physiological processes. The transient receptor potential (TRP) channel superfamily has emerged as candidates responsible for such a PLC-dependent Ca 2ϩ influx. The TRP channel superfamily can be divided into at least three subfamilies of Ca 2ϩ -permeable nonselective cation channels (TRPC, TRPV, and TRPM families), having closely related structures comprised of six transmembrane domains, a large NH 2 -terminal cytoplasmic domain, and a COOH-terminal cytoplasmic domain (4). Among the three subfamilies, TRPC channels are one of the molecules that have been extensively characterized.The TRPC channel family is composed of seven non-selective ion channels that can be divided into four subgroups (TRPC1; TRPC4 and -5; TRPC3, -6, and -7; and TRPC2) based on their amino acid sequences and functional similarities (4 -6). Recent investigations have extensively studied the regulation of TRPC channel activity. TRPC1, -4, and -5...

Primary cilia function as specialized compartments for signal transduction. The stereotyped structure and signaling function of cilia inextricably depend on the selective segregation of molecules in cilia. However, the fundamental principles governing the access of soluble proteins to primary cilia remain unresolved. We developed a methodology termed Chemically-Inducible Diffusion Trap at Cilia (C-IDTc) to visualize the diffusion process of a series of fluorescent proteins ranging in size from 3.2 to 7.9 nm into primary cilia. We found that the interior of the cilium was accessible to proteins as large as 7.9 nm. The kinetics of ciliary accumulation of this panel of proteins was exponentially limited by their Stokes radii. Quantitative modeling suggests that the diffusion barrier operates as a molecular sieve at the base of cilia. Our study presents a set of powerful, generally applicable tools for the quantitative monitoring of ciliary protein diffusion under both physiological and pathological conditions.

Ca 2؉ is known to have important roles in sperm chemotaxis, although the relationship between intracellular Ca 2؉ concentration ([Ca 2؉ ]i) and modulation of the swimming and chemotactic behavior of spermatozoa has not been elucidated. Using a highspeed Ca 2؉ imaging system, we examined the chemotactic behavior and [Ca 2؉ ]i in individual ascidian sperm cells exhibiting chemotactic responses toward sperm activating and attracting factor (SAAF), a chemoattractant released by eggs. In this study, we found that transient [Ca 2؉ ]i increased in the flagellum (Ca 2؉ bursts) concomitantly with a change in the swimming direction in an SAAF gradient field. During the initial phase of the Ca 2؉ bursts, the flagellum of the spermatozoon exhibited highly asymmetric waveforms enabling the quick turning of the swimming path. However, the flagellum subsequently changed to symmetric beating, causing the spermatozoon to swim straight. Interestingly, during such responses, [Ca 2؉ ]i remained higher than the basal level, indicating that the series of responses was not simply determined by Ca 2؉ concentrations. Also, we found that Ca 2؉ bursts were consistently evoked at points at which the spermatozoon attained around a temporally minimal value for a given SAAF concentration. We concluded that Ca 2؉ bursts induced around a local minimal SAAF concentration trigger a sequence of flagellar responses comprising quick turning followed by straight swimming to direct spermatozoa efficiently toward eggs.ascidian ͉ calcium ͉ fertilization ͉ flagella ͉ chemotaxis S perm chemotaxis during fertilization is a widely observed phenomenon across most species (1-3). Although sperm chemoattractants released by ova or their accessory organs are species-specific and differ among species, they induce similar behaviors, sudden quick changes in the direction of swimming paths from circular or helical trajectories (1, 2). Spermatozoa of the ascidian Ciona intestinalis are generally known to exhibit clear chemotaxis toward eggs (4, 5), and the chemoattractant released by the eggs has been identified as (25S)-3␣,4␤,7␣,26-tetrahydroxy-5␣-cholestane-3,26-disulfate, designated sperm activating and attracting factor (SAAF) (6, 7). Without SAAF, ascidian spermatozoa swim in circles with stable swimming-path curvatures, whereas the spermatozoa under SAAF stimulus frequently exhibit abrupt ''turns'' in their swimming directions; these behaviors are associated with highly asymmetric flagellar movements (5,8,9). The regulation of this turning seems to be an important feature of sperm (6,8,9).Ca 2ϩ is known to be an important factor involved in the regulation of flagellar beating. In the case of sea urchin spermatozoa, intracellular Ca 2ϩ concentration ([Ca 2ϩ ] i ), appears to be correlated with the asymmetric beating of sperm flagella (10, 11), and it has been shown that sperm-activating peptides trigger the increase in [Ca 2ϩ ] i (12, 13). Also, [Ca 2ϩ ] i fluctuations in swimming sea urchin spermatozoa were observed to be closely related to the changes i...

The inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (InsP3R) is an intracellular Ca2+ channel that releases Ca2+ from internal Ca2+ stores in response to InsP3. Although InsP3R is highly expressed in various regions of the mammalian brain, the functional role of this receptor has not been clarified. We show here that cerebellar slices prepared from mice with a disrupted InsP3R type 1 gene, which is predominantly expressed in Purkinje cells, completely lack long-term depression (LTD), a model of synaptic plasticity in the cerebellum. Moreover, a specific antibody against InsP3R1, introduced into wild-type Purkinje cells through patch pipettes, blocked the induction of LTD. These data indicate that, in addition to Ca2+ influx through Ca2+ channels on the plasma membrane, Ca2+ release from InsP3R plays an essential role in the induction of LTD, suggesting a physiological importance for InsP3R in Purkinje cells.